Archive for the 'Law' Category

Do you remember the times when service providers didn’t think about issues such as being a pipe versus media company? When media consumers could easily identify which device is used for video and which for audio? When content creators had to buy equipment in millions and millions of dollars just to create one minute of moving picture – and distribute it?

Well, these times are long gone. Today, technology is disrupting the whole industry – and its value chain. Content creators are making new innovative media products for a fraction of the cost, and distribute it independently. Availability of high bandwidth across networks poses a dilemma to service provider regarding their role in the market place, and which infrastructure will support an unclear future. Users consume media in various shapes and forms – often with intrusive content protection methods that affect their rights.

David Mirchin, Internet Law Professor and a friend, wrote an excellent article about the YouTube / Viacom case. You can read it here, and contact him here.

I am going to have a podcast with David on this topic soon, so if you have any questions that need to be addressed, feel free to write a short comment…

UPDATE: Techdirt, one of my favorite blogs, adds another angle in this post.

4/4/07 UPDATE: Scott Kirsner from Cinematech (one of my favorite blogs about the relations between technology and the movie industry) has a short piece about bothsides claims as they were published in Washington Post.

Jonathan Askin, general Counsel (and Wartime Consiglieri) at Pulver.com, announced yesterday on the creation of the Video On The Net Alliance, a global consortium of video content creators and application providers aimed at keeping this new industry free from government regulation.

As you all know, Jeff Pulver has a long history in VoIP politics, and it seems like he is trying to achieve the same goals in the new video industry . You can find more information here.